Monday, May 6, 2013

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

I was so excited to receive an ARC of Neil Gaiman’s upcoming
Fortunately, The Milk, written for
readers between the ages of 7-12. With a publication date in late September, Fortunately, the Milk strikes me as a
perfect back-to-school-book, when younger students need a silly and nonsensical
escape from starting another year in a new grade.

When two children are left at home with their father while
their mother presents at an out-of-town conference, they run out of milk for
their breakfast. Their father heads out to the store to pick some up for their
cereal (and his tea), but he encounters quite a few adventures and
misadventures on the way back home. These include abduction by aliens, a ship
of eighteenth-century pirates, Professor Steg and his Floaty-Ball-Person-Carrier, wumpires, time travel, space travel, and more. All the while, the refrain “Fortunately,
the milk” carries through, threading the premise of the story always backwards
towards the fridge empty of milk and the necessary trip to the store.

Gaiman’s text is paired with illustrations by Skottie Young,
which take the silliness and the whimsy of the story even further. I will
definitely purchase a copy of Fortunately,
the Milk when it comes out in September, since the ARC only has about half
of the illustrations completed. The book is about the size and shape as a Magic Tree House Book., a length that is
so suited for younger readers.

It is a fun, quick read that is, at times, like watching the
best bits from an episode of Doctor Who (which is not surprising since Gaiman
has written two episodes for the show). I’m looking forward to picking it up
again in September for a re-read!